all part of a fired up obama diplomacy trying to repair some mistakes and perhaps claim achievements before his time in office is up. andrea mitchell, nbc news, kabul. >>> there are 80 recipients of the medal of honor alive today. to a man they consider themselves ordinary americans. a few years back they decided to honor ordinary americans who, when challenged, did something extraordinary, exhibiting the qualities of courage, selflessness and sacrifice. so the medal of honor recipients came up with the service before self medal for citizens. this year's awards were handed out today. marcus ugarte was thanked for saving a young boy from a house fire in oregon. monsignor joe carroll for his 30 years of work for the homeless and the poor in san diego. and father and son jesse schafer, iii and iv for their heroism during hurricane isaac in braithwaite, louisiana, rescuing 120 people with their own boat as the waters rose. the medal of honor recipients will treat the heroes of newtown, connecticut in a separate category this year. >>> when "nightly news" continues in a moment, the road t